Kauffman vows attack on crime, gang problems

GOP prosecutor candidate launches campaign.

GOP prosecutor candidate launches campaign.

August 08, 2006|JAMES WENSITS Tribune Political Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Declaring that he wants criminals to "shake in their shoes" if he is elected, Republican Gregory Kauffman formally launched his campaign for county prosecutor with a Monday news conference. Kauffman said he will attack what he called an "out of control" crime rate and promised to prosecute wrongdoers to the fullest extent of the law. The Republican candidate didn't have statistics at hand but said his "guesstimate" is that gang members are responsible for more than half of the crimes committed here. "It's organized crime. It's the Mafia of today," Kauffman said of the gangs, adding that the gangs won't go away "until a 2006 version of Eliot Ness comes along." Ness was the federal agent whose fight against Prohibition-era gangsters made him a legend and the subject of both a television series and a movie. Kauffman recently attended a meeting at Holy Family parish to discuss community concerns about the annual church festival. Neighborhood residents had petitioned the Rev. Bernard Galic, church pastor, to cancel the festival after a teenager was shot to death. Kauffman declared Monday that the festival and others like it should continue. When such events are taken away, he said, it tells law-abiding citizens "you lose," and tells criminals, "you win." "One thing I took from Holy Family," Kauffman said of the meeting attended by an estimated 60 residents, "they were scared." He said the fear exists year-round and not just during the festival. Asked how he would address the gang problem, Kauffman said the first thing he would do is admit to it. Kauffman said he believes the area is home to "several hundred" gang members, perhaps more, and said if elected he would work with federal authorities to help eradicate them. In addition to gang crime, Kauffman said crime in general is out of control. He cited the number of homicides that have occurred in recent months, said there could be a serial rapist loose in Clay Township and declared the existence of an out-of-control drinking and driving problem in the county. He said if he is elected, anyone who breaks the law and is caught will know they will face penalties. Democratic incumbent Prosecutor Michael Dvorak acknowledged Monday that gang crimes represent a serious problem, but not to the extent estimated by Kauffman. Citing figures supplied by South Bend police, Dvorak estimated that 28 to 33 percent of crimes can be attributed to gangs and gang members, a figure that includes all crime, including traffic offenses and shoplifting. Dvorak said it is "undeniable" that there is significant crime activity in the community, but said local law enforcement agencies, the federal government and his own office are "stepping up" to meet it. Staff writer James Wensits: jwensits@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6353